Julie Green

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister responsible for Seniors. As I am sure he is aware, there used to be a day program for seniors in Yellowknife, based at Avens, and the program was a safe place for seniors to socialize. It also gave caregivers a break, as I mentioned in my statement. Since February, there has been nothing. Can the Minister tell us what action he is taking to reinstate this program? Mahsi, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you to the Minister for that information. The training was very helpful. Now that the Minister has seen the results of this survey, has he given any more thought to the idea of advocating for the Philadelphia model, where there is a civilian member of an unfounded oversight committee? Does he think that is a good idea?

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to get to a couple more of my questions on the unfounded cases with the Minister of Justice. My question about the review of the unfounded cases is whether there was any additional communication between the RCMP and the complainants who talked about the review and about any of the results that might be relevant to the individuals. Mahsi.

Mr. Speaker, could the Minister commit to getting that information for us about exactly what kind of an investigation took place into those old files, including whether the evidence was re-examined?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister provided a response to my written questions on the number of cases that were found to be unfounded on sexual assault. He indicated that a reclassification had reduced the number to 18.7. My question, first of all, is whether the Minister is going to direct the RCMP to reinvestigate or follow up with those cases? Thank you.

I think that was an invitation to join Cabinet. I will take it.

---Laughter

Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Social Development was briefed on this RFP in January, and we flagged some problems at that time, which the department then ignored. They put out a completely unpalatable RFP, patently unpalatable. Nobody has bid on it. Is the Minister prepared to work with the Coalition Against Family Violence to revamp the revamp so that this program has someone who wants to offer it?

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my questions are for the Minister of Justice. The department has advertised for a service provider for the revamped A New Day program, and, despite holding a bidders' conference and then revising the RFP, none of the non-profits have submitted a proposal. At least one that was approached directly declined to take the program on. What is the Minister's understanding of what the problem is here? Thank you.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. My final question is whether the Minister will advocate at the FPT table for the RCMP to adopt this civilian oversight at the national level so it can be implemented everywhere that they serve. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that commitment from the Minister. We don't have the opportunity to question the RCMP ourselves, of course, and so we are appreciative of his efforts to do that on our behalf. I am wondering, after the Minister read the response to the unfounded cases, what he thinks may need to change in terms of best practices in dealing with these sexual assault complaints.

Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Minister reported yesterday in his long response that, of those cases that were re-examined, 42 per cent were found to be third-party complaints and were unacceptable. What about the other 58 per cent? What was the reason that they were dismissed? Thank you.